The Pilot Project Program is a key component of the Center of Excellence in Environmental Toxicology (CEET), The Pilot Project Program is aimed at funding new directions in environmental health research. These grants represent one vehicle by which the Center can continue to enrich, attract and support innovative research that may not be ready for direct NIH-funding, In addition, Pilot Projects can be used to fund collaborative research that may become a component of a multi-investigator award, the development of technologies that may benefit other CEET investigators, and to take the CEET into new directions. The Pilot Project Program serves to attract junior investigators and established faculty new to environmental health sciences to the CEET. The Program encourages applications that address community-based needs and can be proposed by COEC members. The Pilot Project Program also encourages applications that will seed patient and human population-based research that may require the resources of the Integrative Health Sciences Facility Core (IHSFC). This Program represents an important vehicle by which the Center can rejuvenate its membership and draw natural alliances with new faculty. The goals of the Pilot Project Program are to: Support career development of junior faculty in environmental health science Attract established investigators into environmental health science Develop technologies that may benefit other CEET investigators Fund collaborative research that may lead to multi-investigator grant applications Stimulate translational research themes in environmental health science Fund community based research projects identified by COEC members Fund patient and population based exposure research that will utilize the IHSFC The CEET is in its third year of funding and has awarded 14 Pilot Projects. Four of these awards were funded January 01, 2009. Of the ten Pilot Projects that have had sufficient time to provide a return on the investment, $4,085,050 in direct costs have been generated for an investment of $225,000 which is greater than 18:1. This value is deflated to 13.1: 1 if the newly funded Pilot Projects are counted. Pilot Project funding has led to 12 articles published in the scientific literature.